The Palatino VE-550 is an extremely versatile electric bass with active tone and volume controls and a headphone jack with preamp. Palatino includes a rugged combination leather/plastic carrying bag with backpack straps.

The low, effortless action appeals especially to fretted electric bass players making the transition to an upright bass. The Palatino VE-550 Elecric Upright Bass has big tone, much like an amplified acoustic bass. It's an electric upright bass that's sure to please professionals looking for a bass they can travel with.

Previous reviews had very accurate points. To start with the bad, throw away the stock strings RIGHT AWAY. As far as what strings to replace it with, i couldn't tell you. True there is a big online community, and strings make all the difference for this instrument. I will let you now that i wasn't able to get the sound i want out of this good looking upright. The bridge seemed fragile and in my opinion it would be best to replace that too. I never did. In short, the palatino has potential but you are going to have to work on it. Oh i almost forgot, it weighs a ton too (okay maybe not as heavy as a full figure traditional upright). The problem is really the softcase that comes with it. It doesn't quite fit to the figure of the instrument, and in doing so it makes your back pretty uncomfortable when carrying it. Yes, lousy pickups too. So break out your toolbox if you are buying this one.

This was the first upright i had, so for that reason alone it was very enjoyable. The neck is okay, but it could have been alot faster. It is a good instrument to start learning playing an upright and there is metal thingy you can put on the instrument that allows you to practice holding and playing a full figured bass. All in all, i say a little too costly for the value.

For a bass guitar player looking to get into upright, or an upright player seeking a low-cost electric with a slightly more full-bodied sound than the stick bass alternatives, the VE is a good deal. The scale is about an inch shorter than a standard 3/4 bass, so that could take someone with upright experience a little getting used to. And the chintzy stock strings should be replaced as soon as possible (I strung mine with fake-gut Weedwackers, which, although requiring a little filing of the nut and bridge to accommodate the larger diameter, afford a very smooth, faux-vintage tone, and are easy on the fingers). But otherwise it's pretty nice out of the box. Some players complain about the adustable, U-shaped brace/rest, which I removed altogether, and found the ergos fairly comfortable. The adustable bridge is welcome too, allowing quick experimentation with string height.

There's a sizable online community for modding these things to get the most out of them (a few very simple, cheap fixes, such as damping the unpleasantly ringing tailpiece with foam rubber, and isolating the pickup with a strip of bicycle inner tube, are useful, cheap fixes to start with). The tone from the active piezo pickup is on the bland side without any effects, and seems to be get replaced by the perfectionists -- but with the affordable buy-in, it's possible to customize the VE to your liking and still spend a lot less than the cost of the more expensive electric uprights.

One thing it will not do is reproduce the string slap of a real doghouse bass (which is why I don't rate it higher). The pickup, located under the bridge, senses practically no vibration from the fingerboard -- which is a shame, as the VE's easier portability compared to a double bass would otherwise make it a nice alternative for bluegrass and rockabilly/psychobilly players.

I've had the Palatino VE 550 or a couple of months now and the only way to get rid of a ton of hiss is to basically kill my high end. The picks ups are just terrible and kill the quality of the arco. If they installed better pick ups and offered better oppurtunities for pickups then this would be an amzazing deal but the pick ups almost ruin it for me. Although there is hope. I play in an ambient instrumental band currently and i run a verbzilla through the Palatino and it can almost hide the bad quality of the arco and also adds to any swells that I do with my band. If i was a traditional Bass player i would not recomend this, but if your like me and play for the sake of having arco as an option and want to save money, then maybe. Just put a little money into it and hopefully it works for you too.

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